14

found

Solar Shed Entries

Setting Solar Panels to Their Winter Angle

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

In April of 2014, Tara and I installed six solar panels on the roof of our solar shed. The process of affixing them was a comedy of errors. After measuring wrong several times, drilling more than a few unnecessary holes, and swearing a lot, we mana...

Dad Visits

Friday, August 8th, 2014

When I was a teenager, my Dad restored/rebuilt a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Minnesota. Like Tara and I, he'd never done anything of the sort when he started. I remember coming along to lend a hand a few times, but mostly, I was too busy being a...

Off-Grid Power Update: Solar Panels Arrive

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

Last April, we received the initial charging equipment for our off-grid power system! We're starting with six 245 watt REC photovoltaic panels, whose output to our battery bank will be regulated by an Outback FM80 charge controller. The week they ...

Finish Work on the Solar Shed

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

It's amazing what we can get done when there isn't a foot of snow on the ground! This weekend was full-on spring, with glorious warm weather and sunny skies. To celebrate and make the most of it, we spent every single hour of daylight tying up the ...

Solar Shed Work Bench

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

One of the last things we did today was build a corner work bench inside the solar shed. I am seriously beside myself with excitement about this. As soon as we were done, I put my soldering iron, multimeter, flux, "third hand" and other electroni...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Six: Interior & Site Grading

Saturday, March 29th, 2014

Today, we started sheathing the interior of the solar shed with utilitarian plywood. As usual, I took the measuring duties while Tyler did the sawing. First, I marked each sheet to fit its designated location, then outlined the spaces we'd need t...

Solar Panels & Charge Controller Arrive

Friday, March 28th, 2014

The first round of components for our off-grid power system arrived today! We now have six REC PE245 solar panels waiting to be mounted on the roof of our solar shed, an Outback FM80 charge controller to regulate their output, and a bunch of assor...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Five: Wiring & Insulation

Sunday, March 23rd, 2014

We made more progress on the solar shed today. First, we nailed the sill plate to our foundation using a ".22 nailer". It's basically a tiny rifle with bullet-like charges that you set off with a hammer. The resulting blast shoots a nail straigh...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Four: Shingles & Trim

Sunday, March 16th, 2014

This week, we've been working on adding trim and fascia boards to the solar shed. We also started shingling the roof! As per usual, each time we start a new building task that neither of us has done before, Charlie drops by to give us a brief lesso...

Nailing Solar Shed Siding

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014

Today felt like spring, and though our land was still covered in snow and ice, birds were flitting about joyfully and the sun shone brightly. Trying to make the most of this fleetingly favorable weather (we're supposed to get another ten inches of ...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Three: Siding

Sunday, March 9th, 2014

We haven't done much of anything outside since our shed building blitz this January. For the last two months, we've been hunkered down in our camper, keeping warm as feet of snow accumulate on our land. This morning, a crack appeared in winter's ...

Today

Sunday, February 9th, 2014

When Tyler and I were journaling every day, we had the process down to a science. While it was far from easy, at least it felt routine. Lately, our journalling efforts have been sporadic, and my writing muscles are weak from lack of consistent prac...

Building the Solar Shed, Part Two: More Framing

Thursday, January 16th, 2014

We awoke this morning to find a half an inch of snow on the ground, and more soft, white flakes tumbling from grey skies overhead. Crap. The forecast had called for sun and unseasonable warmth! Despite the fact that our springlike weather disappea...

Building the Solar Shed, Part One: Framing

Wednesday, January 15th, 2014

When Tyler came back from Becky and Charlie's place a few days ago, casually informing me that we'd be building our solar shed this week (during a brief window when the forecast called for warmth and sun), I could not have been more surprised or mo...